SEASON THINGS LONGED FOR….

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Written by William Shakespeare September 7-30

DREAM

MISS BENNETT: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY Written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon November 30-December 23

CHRISTMAS

THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL Written by Horton Foote February 15-March10

BOUNTIFUL

THE CHERRY ORCHARD THE LITTLE FOXES Written by Lillian Hellman May 4 -27 May 3-26 1924 Fredericksburg Road classictheatre.org POSTERS AVAILABLE (210) 589-8450 IN LOBBY FOXES MISSION- The Classic Theatre creates excellent theatre that is relevant, diverse, entertaining and transformative.

VISION- We envision San Antonio as a vibrant city with a rich diversity of arts and culture which connects communities.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Randy Stier (Chair) / Armando Barrera / Sara Beesley Emily Boehm / Rosa Cabezas-Gil /Joseph De Mott Christi Eanes / John Joseph / Bart Roush / Kathy Sakai

FOUNDERS Chris Cheever / Asia and Anthony Ciaravino Diane and Rick Malone / Allan S. and Terri Peña Ross

THEATRE STAFF EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR...... Kelly Roush EDUCATION DIRECTOR...... Kacey Roye BOX OFFICE MANAGER...... Florence Bunten BOOKKEEPER...... Olivia Tober GRAPHIC ARTIST/PROGRAM DESIGN...... King William Design HOUSE MANAGERS...... Zach Lewis, Chelsea Steele

NO TALKING, TEXTING OR RECORDING. PICTURES ARE PROHIBITED. Please silence your phone before the performance.

classictheatre.org 1 The Classic Theatre San Antonio Presents THE CHERRY ORCHARD By Anton Chekhov Translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky ...... Directed by Andy Thornton

CAST Lyubov Ranyevskaya ...... Kathy Couser Anya ...... Samantha Harkiewicz Varya ...... Sarah Fisch Gayev ...... Charles Michael Howard* Lopakhin ...... Kevin Majors Trofmov ...... Sam Mandelbaum Pishchik ...... Gloria Sanchez-Molina Charlotta ...... Linda Ford Yepikhodov ...... Steven Starr Dunyasha ...... Makenzie Jené Firs ...... George Burnette Yasha ...... Dorian Arriaga** Traveler ...... Julio Sepulveda Stationmaster ...... Cleon Ony**

There will be one ffteen-minute intermission.

*This actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. **These actors appear as AIM High interns in our production.

THE CHERRY ORCHARD was originally commissioned by the Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, Barry Grove, Executive Producer

Presented by special arrangement with ICM Partners

2 classictheatre.org PRODUCTION STAFF Director ...... Andy Thornton Stage Manager ...... Allison Cornwell Technical Director ...... Chuck Drew Set Designer ...... Alfy Valdez Scenic Artist ...... Stephen L. Montalvo Costume Designer ...... Jodi Karjala Lighting Designer ...... Chuck Drew Sound Designer ...... Chuck Drew, Andy Thornton Props Designer ...... Les Johnson

PRODUCTION CREW Scenic Assistants ...... Tyler Cozart , Zach Walsh, Janis Kelly Board Operator ...... Michael Garcia Photographer ...... Siggi Ragnar Videographer ...... Cody Asher

...... Director’s Note Dear Anton Pavlovich, So many people think your plays are depressing and melodramatic, even though you thought of them as comedies. But I think you are the bravest playwright ever. Your writing is vulnerable and open to interpretation. You don’t tell us about all the details that might exist in a single line of text; you trust us to explore, to mine, and to come up with our own. You don’t hold us to a plot line; you trust us to imagine the everyday existences of these characters for ourselves. Our unique palette of colors is required to complete the picture— it’s a partnership. In this way, you bravely put the text in our hands and say, “See what you can bring to it!” If we bring depression, well then, the text will be depressing. If we bring celebration, it will be celebratory. It’s a perfect mirror for what we bring to it. Translator Richard Pevear echoes this idea beautifully in his introduction to your play. He writes, “A common tendency in productions of the play... has been to overdetermine the interpretation... to confne it to the elegiac, or the political, or the satirical, or the absurd. The essence of Chekhov’s art, on the contrary, is inclusion and simultaneity, the rapid shift from one tone to another, the mockery of the most moving moments with slapstick parodies of them.”

classictheatre.org 3 Director’s Note continued ...... Just as moving moments are followed by slapstick, we have approached your Cherry Orchard as Tragedy meets Hero’s Journey, as Political Romance with a side of Farce, as Russian-American Class Struggle plus Treatise on the Unfairness of Love, all at once. The customs, archetypes, social structure and politics belong to your Russia of 1904; but to stop at mere period and nationality would be to shortchange you. There’s something deeper about these characters, something you can’t confine, yet you can see in the face of anyone on earth. Your play chronicles what it’s like to be a human being— to yearn, to remember, to work, to feel scared, to laugh, to strive, to win and lose. This is the level of universality we want to reach with your play, and it is only through openness and bravery that we can get there. You have blessed us with your trust, Anton Pavlovich, and we aspire to honor you in our interpretations. Thank you for your limitless generosity. We love you, and we hope you laugh.

-Andy Thornton April, 2018

NOTE: The version we are using is Chekhov’s first script, submitted for production in 1904, which was changed somewhat by actor/director Konstantin Stanislavsky (he played Gayev in the first Moscow Art Theatre production). It is Stanislavsky’s altered version which is most frequently performed. Though the changes are moderate, they do affect the tone of some parts of the play, primarily in Act Two, and we are happy to bring this lesser-known original version back into the light.

WHO’S WHO ...... Dorian Arriaga (Yasha) is incredibly excited to be making his debut at The Classic Theatre of San Antonio. Dorian has trained in the BFA Acting Program at the University of Houston and will be transferring into the BFA Theatre Studies program at The University of Texas at Austin this fall.

George Burnette (Firs) has worked as an actor, director and designer in many theatres in San Antonio. He is retired from The University of the Incarnate Word, where he was a member of the faculty and the resident theatre acting company for 35 years. He was a founding board member at Classic, and has been involved with at least 5 Classic productions, last appearing as Engstrand in The Classic’s production of Ghosts.

4 classictheatre.org WHO’S WHO continued ...... Allison Cornwell (Stage Manager) returns to The Classic having previously stage managed three engagements with Jaston Williams. Around town, she has stage managed at the Playhouse (Public) and Sheldon Vexler theaters, including The Light in the Piazza, The Music Man, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Rimers of Eldritch. Equally at home on and off stage, Allison has performed in a number of shows, including RENT, Side Show, Urinetown, and Little Shop of Horrors at The Vex, A Christmas Carol, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, and Hello, Dolly! at The Public Theatre, and 9 to 5 at The Woodlawn.

Kathy Couser (Ranyevskaya) is on the staff at Texas Public Radio and holds a BA in Theatre from University of North Texas. For The Classic, she played Catherine Petkoff in Arms and the Man, (Alamo Theatre Arts Council award). Other credits include, Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Mrs. Gottlieb, ATAC award) and Tribes (Beth, ATAC award), at The Public Theatre of San Antonio, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Reba) at The Sheldon Vexler Theatre.

Chuck Drew (Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer) has been in the audio, lighting, and video industry for over 25 years. Recent theatre projects include The Amish Project, TD, LD (AtticRep), Tristan und Isolde, TD, LD, (Chamber Orchestra of SA & Opera San Antonio), Epic Proportions, LD (Palo Alto), Nevermore, SD (Texas Light Opera), Tejana Trilogy, LD (Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center), Kaleidoscope 2016-17, VD (St. Mary’s Hall), The Last 5 Years, SD (Texas Light Opera), From the Mahabharata, TD (AtticRep), International Fest of Theatre 2017, TD, LD (AtticRep).

Sara Fisch (Varya) was last seen as Jean in Dead Man’s Cell Phone, in the Cellar Theater at The Public Theater of San Antonio, and Therapist in Room for All, at the Pearl Studio. Sara studied Theatre Arts and Playwriting at the Samuel Beckett Centre for Theatre Studies, and also studied at Trinity College in Dublin. She is also an arts journalist and stand-up comic. She co-hosts “By the Podcast of Grayskull” with Dave Stone-Robb.

Linda Ford (Charlotta) appeared last year at The Classic in The Tempest (Trinculo) and more recently at The Public Theatre of San Antonio in Wit (E.M. Ashford, Ph.D.). She has played a wide range of roles on various San Antonio stages since the late 60s and has often been active behind the scenes and in front of the house. Favorite past roles (1968-89) include “Marks” (Talking With), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Honey (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Sonya (Uncle Vanya) and Laura (The Glass Menagerie).

classictheatre.org 5 WHO’S WHO continued ...... Samantha Harkiewicz (Anya) is a recent graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word, where she holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts. Her most recent credits include; The House of Bernarda Alba (Martirio) and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Ginny).

Charles Michael Howard (Gayev) This is Michael’s first appearance at The Classic Theatre. He was recently seen at The Vex in Hamlet (Polonius) and Act of God (Gabriel). Previous roles in Portland, Maine, include King Lear (Lear), A Number (Salter), Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Michael), Twelfth Night (Toby Belch), August Osage County (Charley), and A Lie of the Mind (Baylor). In a life of 60 years in the theatre, Michael is blessed to have acted/directed much of Chekhov: played Vershinin and Chebutykin in Three Sisters; played Dr. Dorn and directed The Seagull; directed Uncle Vanya, and played Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard in San Antonio in ’72. He is a member of the Actors Equity Association.

Makenzie Jené (Dunyasha) has been performing on stage and in film and television since she was young. Her stage credits consist of both plays and musicals, including Oliver!, High School Musical, Odyssey, and 9 Circles. She has trained at the North East School of the Arts in both Acting and Vocal Training and with Abilene Christian University’s drama program. Her film credits include the lead role in the nationally toured short film Open and the award-winning, theatrically released feature film Return to the Hiding Place.

Les Johnson (Props Designer) attended Ohio State University. He started his career as a business manager for cast members at Bud York Productions in Los Angeles California. He has worked at several San Antonio theatres, including The Classic, The Public Theatre of San Antonio, The Woodlawn Theater, and Crystal Sea Drama Company. Some of his favorite plays include; Time Stand at The Public Theatre, and Young Frankenstein at the Woodlawn Theatre. He has been a production team member working with Set Designer, Alfy Valdez for the past 8 years.

Jodi Karjala (Costume Designer) is the costume designer and costumer at Trinity University, where she has been teaching since 2000. Jodi has designed many shows previously with The Classic, including A Doll’s House, You Can’t Take It With You, The Tempest, Arms and the Man, The House of Bernarda Alba, King Lear, and Blithe Spirit, to name a few. Jodi holds an M.F.A. in Stage Design from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

6 classictheatre.org WHO’S WHO continued ...... Kevin Majors (Lopakhin) is a military veteran (US Army, retired) who is chasing his childhood dream of being an actor. Although he has performed in several stage productions with other local theater companies and his church, this is his first time joining the cast of a production at The Classic Theater for which he is extremely grateful.

Sam Mandelbaum (Trofimov) i s v e r y p l e a s e d t o b e w o r k i n g with The Classic again: the first time since The Importance of Being Earnest, in which he played Algernon Moncreif. However, he has been on this stage, with Theatre for Change, in Trigger Warning. Other recent credits include The Glass Menagerie (Tom), Asking for Change (Suit), The Irish Curse (Kieren), and Wittenberg (Prince Hamlet). He is also a teaching artist for The Classics in the Classroom Educational Outreach Program at The Classic Theatre.

Stephen L. Montalvo (Scenic Artist) has a long- standing career in set design, construction and painting, beginning in 1990. He received his BFA in Technical Theatre and Applied Art History from Commonwealth University in Virginia. Besides having worked in many theatres in San Antonio, Stephen has also worked on the creation of video game characters, stained glass pieces, cgi models, sculpting, architectural modeling, and fiberglassing.

Cleon Ony (Stationmaster) is an active member in his Theatre Department and current student attending Ronald Reagan High School. His Reagan credits include; Cliton in The Liar, Officer Krupke in West Side Story, Dr. Finache in A Flea in her Ear, and Captain in The Love of the Nightingale. His school recently advanced to area in the 2018 UIL One-Act Play Competition.

Gloria Sanchez-Molina (Pishchik) is proud to be making her debut performance with The Classic Theatre. Prior credits with AtticRep include; The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (Stevie), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Martha) and God of Carnage (Veronica). Credits at The Public Theatre of San Antonio include The Glass Menagerie (Amanda Wingfield), Enchanted April (Costanza), Corpus Christi (Bartholomew), Electricidad (Electricidad) and Santos y Santos (Victoria). She earned her BA in Theatre at the University of the Incarnate Word and is the recipient of two ATAC Globe Awards.

classictheatre.org 7 WHO’S WHO continued ...... Julio Sepulveda (Traveler) is a graduate of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. He has a BAC in Theatre and has returned to the world of performing most recently in Bless Me, Ultima at The Classic and as Joaquin in Mono Aguilar’s Adelita. This is his third show in San Antonio, and he couldn’t be more thrilled.

Steven Starr (Yepikhodov) has performed in a few other productions here at The Classic, most recently as Ed in You Can’t Take It With You, and Sir Benjamin Backbite in School For Scandal. Steven has also served as the lighting designer for The Classic Theatre’s productions of Born Yesterday and Vanya & Sonia & Masha + Spike. Steven earned his BA in Theatre from the University of the Incarnate Word, and is currently the Assistant Technical Director for the UIW theatre department.

Andy Thornton (Director) is an actor, teacher and director who has worked with several San Antonio theatre companies, including The Classic, The Public Theatre of San Antonio, The Overtime and AtticRep, as both director and actor. He was most recently seen in The Classic’s production of You Can’t Take It With You, and before that, in the Surround Project’s 9 Circles. Some of his favorite directing projects have been Near-Death Experiences at Northwest Vista College, Uncle Vanya and Much Ado About Nothing for The Classic, and Superior Donuts and November at The Public. Andy is also proud of the plays he directed at Churchill High School, most notably The Seagull and Red Noses. Favorite roles he’s played include Estragon in Waiting for Godot, Mark Rothko in RED, Martin in The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Jack in Marriage Play, and Mason in Take Me Out. Andy is currently teaching private acting lessons with River City Actors’ Studio and attending UTSA to get his Masters degree in Counseling. In his spare time, he draws therapeutic comic strips called Thorntoons.

Alfy Valdez (Set Designer) is the former Resident Designer and Technical Director of The Public Theatre of San Antonio. Favorite design credits with The Classic Theatre include A Doll’s House, The Merchant of Venice, and You Can’t Take It With You. At The public Theatre, his favorite shows include Picnic, Time Stands Still, and design award winners Red, Man of La Mancha, Funny Girl, and Bus Stop at The Classic Theatre. Alfy is a proud alumnus of UC Berkeley, B.S. Art.

8 classictheatre.org Special Thanks ...... Pedro Ramirez Guerrero CPA Bart Roush Carolee Graham Tom Kinsey sRagnarFotografi: Siggi Ragnar Woodlawn Theater: Chris Rodriguez Crystal Sea Drama Company: Irene Miller

Trinity University Dept of Human Communication & Theatre: Jodi Karjala / Sergio Mata Yury & Tanya Belov Tim Francis / Valerie Pauerstein

Students of the Trinity Theatre Costume Studio: Tito Sandigo / Casey Deal / Layna Hayes Alexis Jarrett / Cole Murray / Alex Oliver Carly Hernandez / Malcolm Conner / Jared Tincher

9 -LIMITED RUN- JUNE 7 - 17, 2018

8pm shows Thursday, Friday & Saturday 3 pm shows Saturday & Sunday Classictheatre.org

CAMP CLASSIC A THEATRE ARTS CAMP EXPLORING CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY Summer Camp for children ages 5-13 of all ability levels. JULY 16 - AUGUST 10

A huge THANK YOU to all of our DONORS! (This information refects contributions received 4/15/2017-4/24/2018) ......

CLASSIC THEATRE BENEFACTORS CIRCLE ($20,000+) City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture

Kronkosky Charitable Foundation

San Antonio Area Foundation

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE CIRCLE ($5,000+) Birwelco USA Kelly & Bart Roush

Faye L. & William L Cowden Charitable Foundation Texas Commission on the Arts

Ed & Trudy Moore Valero Energy Foundation

Allan S. & Terri Peña Ross

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS CIRCLE ($1,000 - $4,999) American Endowment Foundation Gentry Family Foundation

Armando & Carolina Barrera Stuart Schlossberg & Judge Bonnie Reed

Bexar County Arts Fund Kathy Sakai

Emily Boehm Dr. David Mangelsdorff & Dr. Linda Smith

Antonio (Tony) Cantafio Spoetzl Brewery & Shiner Beers

Joan & Bob Carabin Texas Cavaliers Charitable Foundation

Jean Cheever Philip & Rebecca Tinkler

Christine Crowley The Williamson Foundation

OSCAR WILDE CIRCLE ($500 - $999) Anonymous (3) Bruce D. & Anna Gangai Liesman

Nancy Fix Anderson Rick & Diane Malone

Dr. George Beddingfield D. Walter Matich

Fred & Kate Campbell Jacqueline H. McClellan

Christina Casella Cameron & Marion Monk

Thomas & Mary Locke Crofts John V. & Judy Jay Mumma

Lee & Teri Cusenbary Charles Ryburn

Joe & Kathy DeMott George & Teri Stieren

Tom & Josephine Grabow Randy & Catherine Stier

H-E-B Raul Yordan

John Joseph

14 classictheatre.org A huge THANK YOU to all of our DONORS! (This information refects contributions received 4/15/2017-4/24/2018) ......

NOEL COWARD CIRCLE ($250 - $499) Raymond Baird Vincent Johnson Susan Breidenbach Richard & Diane Karohl Siomara Marquez Cantafio Martin & Frederica Kushner Arlene G Dryer Robert L. Mays Michael & Rita Duggan LaRonda McAndrew Edward & Valerie Faleski Ann B. Mrizek Rev. Patrick & Kay Gahan Victor & Valerie Ostrower Toni & Richard Goldsmith Jan H. Peranteau Jan Harvey Harriet & Gary Smith Timothy Hedgepeth Barbara Stover R. Wayne Hilliard Lee & Terri Washburn Jeff Hinger Penny Wiederhold Ellen Z. Johnson

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW CIRCLE ($100 - $249) Anonymous (4) Jessica Fernandez-White Richard C. Arredondo R. Bruce & Lila L. Gardner Jerry & Molly Ashby Norbert Gonzalez Jack W. Kent & Susan M. Athené Lisa Guerrero Rebecca Baker Jim & Janice Hans Eva Balcazar Nancy & Robert Heller Philis M. Barragan Melvin Kanninen Mike & Lee Barry Gemma Kennedy Charles Bender David Kolodrubetz & Ellen Kraig William & Clara Bergstrom Meghann Leinweber Howard Black Bryce & Mary Milligan Braverman Family Charitable Foundation Susan Mooberry Elaine Bright James Moody Herb & Sylvia Brown Phillip Muth Steven & Mary Bull (in honor of Terri & Allan Ross) Kathleen Newton Florence Bunten Mary S. Nguyen Laura Burt Joyce Peterson Hilquias (Keo) Cavalcanti Sheila Lynch Rinear Bill & Liz Chiego Gerald & Milinda Schwab The Schiller Company Alberto & Reina Serrano Dr. Alex De Jesus Paula Smart Mary Denny Victor & Nancy Trevino & Family Terry Dunlop (in honor of Allan & Terri Ross, and Christi Eanes) Elida Von Loewe Sandy Dunn Shelley Weber Rad & Nita Eanes Miles & Caroline White

classictheatre.org 15 A huge THANK YOU to all of our DONORS! (This information refects contributions received 4/15/2017-4/24/2018) ...... CLASSIC THEATRE CIRCLE ($25 - $99) Anonymous (3) Margaret Joseph Arthur & Myra Bahme Mary Jane & Raymond Judd David Barron Grace Kanayan Cesiah Boryczka Linda Kaufman Elizabeth Cave Pamela J. Kittrell Jerrie Champlin Rebecca Kuenstler Harriet Christian Robert Lawson Gillian E. Cook Frances Limoncelli Philip Corcoran Patricia P. Lonchar Elizabeth Costello Elisa Magnus Eddie Cox Mary Maley (in honor of Terri & Allan Ross) José Rubén De León Rebecca Marez Valerie Dullnig Karen Miller James DuWayne Greene Roxie Montesano Brian & Christi Eanes Robert Moritz Mia Elizalde Barbara Moschner Lily L. Engles MD Al Mozisek Melinda Farmer Caryl Jean Nixon (in memory of Phyllis Everly) Michael Ferguson Arlis Olson Joseph Fielder Donna Peacock Robbye P. Floyd Clifford Pedroza Michael Howard & Linda Ford Joshua E. Pepper Carol Frere David Pollet Kathryn Galindo Richard S. Pressman PhD Beverly Gallets Thomas & Gulnur Reinhart Charles Gallimore Timothy Retzloff Renee Garvens Sheila & David Rinear Jon Gillespie Davelyn Robbins Jennifer Goetz Oliver Roush Adela Gonzalez Kacey Roye Charles Gonzalez Deirdre Saravia Charles & Margaret Goodhue Matthew Schulman Bonnie Griffith Mike & Barbara Simpson Richard F. Halter Christie A. Smith Linda Hardberger Ann Springer William L. Heffner Barbara Stevens Jan Heinrichs The Stringham Family Jose M. Hernandez Frances Sullentrop Mark Hicks Samuel Thompson III Sherry G. Houston Franze Wall Barry W. Hubbard Shelley Weber Margery Huston Wade R. Young

16 SEASON 10 OF THE CLASSIC THEATRE was made possible by the patronage of

“X” Fiesta Medals available in the lobby